Telly picks for the coming week…
James May’s Great Explorers
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James May’s Great Explorers – Columbus: Long before football and rock’n’roll, the A-listers of the day were explorers. They risked their lives to sail over the horizon, seek new lands, and bring home unimaginable treasures to dark, damp Europe.
In a major series debut for Channel 5, James May charts the journeys of Christopher Columbus, Sir Walter Raleigh, and Captain James Cook, through hands-on experiments, examining technological wonders, and plenty of messing about in boats – and investigates how these extraordinary explorers changed the world forever.But James soon learns that ‘great’ explorers might be pushing it, and that some of these national heroes were absolute chancers whose reputations might need a closer look.
We all know the cheerful little ditty, ‘In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue…’ – but after that, things get a bit confused… Christopher Columbus may be celebrated as a national hero for ‘discovering’ the USA – but he never actually set foot there. In episode one, James May is diving headfirst into history, and getting hands-on with science, to understand how this stubborn young sailor with a dream of sailing to Asia ended up stumbling across two continents completely unknown to Europeans.
James starts by travelling to south-west Spain, from where these world changing voyages began. He takes the helm of his own sailboat to test the cutting-edge sail technology that allowed ships to travel further than ever before – and the rudimentary navigation techniques that Columbus had to rely on.
Crossing vast oceans required more than just ships… James cooks up some of the not-so-delicious meals Columbus’s sailors could expect to enjoy, and visits a science lab to test how these provisions would have lasted on a month-long voyage. In beautiful Seville, James visits the Alcazar to examine the motives of greed and religious fervour that drove the quest. And in London’s jewellery quarter, he gets hands on with the stuff that powered the voyages – gold.
Columbus’s voyages may have brought exotic goods and untold wealth back to Europe – but to the Americas they brought wholesale destruction. James visits St Bart’s Hospital in London to study the diseases that would be unleashed on the Americas – and meets Dr Caroline Dodds Pennock to learn about the human cruelty that set in motion centuries of horror. It’s an extraordinary tale of daring, greed, and downright stubbornness. Columbus’s voyages shaped all our lives, from the food we eat to global wealth and politics – and James unlocks the complex history for us in his playful, curious, insightful, way.
Channel 5, Thursday, February 13th at 9pm
Join Stacey Solomon and her expert team – organiser Dilly, carpenter Rob, and cleaner Iwan – as they help families overhaul their cluttered homes in just seven days.
This week, the Appleyards, a lively family of six, must let go of half their belongings to create a beautifully reorganised space.
With their possessions displayed in a vast warehouse, including 2,000 greeting cards and 99 odd socks, parents Helen and Phil confront emotional challenges and share their history of pregnancy and baby loss.
Back home, Rob builds a custom triple bunk for the triplets, Iwan deep cleans, and Dilly creates practical storage to maximise space in their rented home.
Can the team deliver the dream transformation?
BBC One, Tuesday, February 10th at 8 pm, also on the iPlayer
The new series of the award-winning show comes from Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham, one of the busiest A&E departments in Europe – where 37-year-old Ronalds is brought in after slicing through his ankle with an angle grinder.
As surgeons work to save his leg, Ronalds speaks of his life as a child in Latvia and the challenges he faced when he started a new life in the UK.
Doctors make a shocking discovery after 50-year-old Jeremy has a crash on his mountain bike. And 21-year-old Owen has dislocated his shoulder at a music festival.
Channel 4, Thursday, February 13th at 9 pm
Crashed: $800m Festival Fail
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The jaw-dropping story of the rise and fall of British music and festival company Pollen, who went bust in 2022 while still owing tens of millions of pounds to staff and customers.
The company was launched in 2014 by two young British brothers, Callum and Liam Negus Fancey.
Riding the wave of the tech boom which saw start-ups like Deliveroo, Airbnb and Uber become ‘unicorn’ giants valued at $1bn or more, the brothers attracted huge investment… then it all went wrong.
U&W, Thursday, February 13th at 10 pm, also as a box set on U streaming
Funboys sees friends Callum (Ryan Dylan), Jordan (Rian Lennon) and Lorcan (Lee R James) attempt to navigate through the hardships of life. From first girlfriends to dead pet pigs, the lads are put through the psychological ringer. But will their shared love of innocent fun and wholesome ‘mucking about’ land them in hot water?
While working at the local shop, Callum acquires his first ever female admirer in the form of Gemma, who is new to town and seeking friends. Unfortunately, Callum’s burgeoning relationship means that he no longer wants to play video games all weekend with the fellas. This is too much for Jordan to bear and the PSNI are called to restrain him (again).
Despite Jordan’s warnings, Callum goes on his first ever date. Things are going well until he gets an urgent call from Lorcan about a friend in peril…Jordan has gone missing.
After a disastrous sexual escapade on a swan pedalo, Callum soon realises he should have listened to the boys’ advice.
BBC One NI, Monday, February 10th at 11.10pm, across the UK on the iPlayer
